After reading about the crackdown by Mayor Bloomberg on Occupy Wall St. I was left wondering one major thing. What is the point of all this and should OWS even be bothered anymore? I know the list of demands that the movement has brought forward, even though the media in mass ignores them. Taking over a public park has changed the national conversation from austerity measures to job plans. This seemingly herculean task has made a massive difference in what is happening in Washington and across the nation. As multiple cities protest have mirrored the efforts of OWS we are seeing politicians trying to co-opt the 99% movement, while others foolishly mock it. So the apparent next issue is whether or not OWS will be allowed to stay in Zuccoti Park, and I am not sure that this matter at all. Frankly, I think its time they left.

The idea of OWS is far reaching in its intentions whether the occupiers know it or not. The processes of getting money out of the politics, breaking the strong connections between lobbyists and politicos, and regaining the power of the voting public are not handled in a winterized tent outside of the New York Stock Exchange. The literal occupation should be phase one. Now that you have captured the attention of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, politicos, news media, and John Q public its time to transition into something that brings results. The Teaparty is often compared to OWS due to the “grassroots” like beginnings of both movements. However, if one does any research they can see that the Teaparty was very well funded from corporations and individuals like the now infamous Koch Brothers. The amount of money that was spent to send people from all over the country to Washington D.C. on fancy air-conditioned coach buses was a mere start to the benefits of corporate money for the “grassroots” movement. OWS does not have this, but what they have is numbers, popularity, and message. The favorability of OWS is high but will begin to fade as the literal occupation fails to make any tangible changes. The Teaparty for all its faults, and there are many, was able to move from yelling at town halls to replacing Congressional representatives as they saw fit. That is seriously tangible.

So the time of being noticed may be coming to an end with flash bang grenades and nightsticks, but that’s not where it has to end. The legacy of OWS can be a simple, “they yelled and sat in a park for a while,” or it will be the 99% getting out to vote. Going door-to-door and working for real change. Change comes from the bottom up. Things like prison reform and voter registration affect the 99%. I would like to see a replacement for ACORN come out of this movement. As state after state works to make voting harder for the poorest of us we need a movement to bring light to it before its too late. The OWS/99% movement is poised to this. So the removal from a park matters not, the movement is with the people not in one single location. Take this opportunity to capitalize on your favorability not wallow in your current phase.

Phase Two of Occupy Wall St. starts right now…

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1. Occupy Oakland
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